Carrier for variable battery retention

ABSTRACT

An interference fit is provided for a battery inserted in a carrier for hearing aid use. The degree of interference is such as to retain the battery in place prior to insertion of the carrier into the hearing aid housing to facilitate its handling. The interference is reduced, however, when the carrier is inserted into the housing by a camming surface included therein. Such arrangement establishes almost a &#34;floating&#34; condition for the battery when the carrier is in normal operating position, to simplify battery contact spring design.

June 27, 1972 w. R. VIGNINI CARRIER FOR VARIBLE BATTERY RETENTION Filed June 1, 1970 res-.1-

3,673,002 CARRIER FOR VARIABLE BATTERY RETENTION Walter R. Vignini, Peekskill, N.Y., assignor to Sonotone Corporation, Elmsford, N.Y. Filed June 1, 1970, Ser. No. 42,089 Int. Cl. H01m 1/04 US. Cl. 136173 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An interference fit is provided for a battery inserted in a carrier for hearing aid use. The degree of interference is such as to retain the battery in place prior to insertion of the carrier into the hearing aid housing to facilitate its handling. The interference is reduced, however, when the carrier is inserted into the housing by a camming surface included therein. Such arrangement establishes almost a floating condition for the battery when the carrier is in normal operating position, to simplify battery contact spring design.

The present invention relates to battery carriers and, more particularly, to such units for securing .a cell to a hearing aid in a manner to simplify contact spring design.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Battery cells having a cylindrical shape in which diameter exceeds height are well known, as is the manner of their retention in a carrier in a removably mounted arrangement. For example, the battery may comprise a pair of shells secured together with an insulating member disposed therebetween. The face of one of these shells may form a first electrical contact while the face of the remaining shell forms the other contact. The battery is generally positioned in its carrier, when the latter is swung outwardly from the support housing,'by pushing the battery into the aperture of the carrier. In the hearing aid, a pair of contact strips are held in position adjacent the battery, with one such strip having a contact finger or spring to wipe against one of the two faces when the battery positioned in the carrier is swung to a closed position. The second contact strip may similarly have a contact finger or spring, against which the other face is wiped as the carrier and battery are likewise swung closed. Good electrical contact is made by virtue of the spring biasing from the opposite faces. When the unit is in closed position, the battery is both contained and concealed within the support housing. The battery is readily removable and replaceable once the carrier is swung to the open position. Such a wiping arrangement is disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,104,290, and a manner of swinging the carrier out for battery removal is shown in US. Pat. No. 2,882,348.

From a hearing aid users viewpoint, a good design would be one in which the battery is securely retained in its carrier while the latter is outside the hearing aid. From a standpoint of the designer, on the other hand, it would be desirable to have the hearing aid battery float in its carrier when the latter is in normal operating position in the hearing aid unit. Contact wiping operation has been found to be mechanically simpler and more reliable.

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to reconcile these apparently opposite requirements and to particularly provide a carrier unit offering variable battery retention.

It is a second object of the invention to provide such carrier unit in which the cell employed is securely retained upon insertion in the carrier-open position-so as not to drop through the users hands to the floor--but is maintained in floating condition when in the carrierclosed position.

United States Patent "ice 3,673,002 Patented June 27, 1972 These and other objects of the invention will be more clearly understood from a consideration of the following description taken in connection with the drawings in which FIGS. l-3 show front, side and bottom views of a battery carrier constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

As will become clear hereinafter, such a carrier unit is provided by the inclusion of an interference fit for retaining the battery cell in position, with the degree of interference being, in turn, reduced when the battery is placed in the hearing aid housing in proper operating position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the invention, the carrier is of cylindrical shape, generally configured to mate with a battery for the retention thereof. The carrier 100 may be constructed of plastic material such as nylon, polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyethylene or acetal. The thickness 1 of the carrier wall may be of the order of of an inch while the inner diameter d of the cylindrical unit 100 conforms to the diameter of the battery. The height h of the cylindrical carrier 100 is slightly less than the length of the battery, to provide an overall volume of the type enabling insertion within a conventional hearing aid unit, whether of the eyeglass type, or of the over the ear variety, of the in the ear, kind or of the on the body type.

As shown, the walls of the cylindrical housing 100 are broken away at points 12 and 14 to enable formation of a central wedge or movable finger piece 16, of thickness 1' and height h comparable to that of the remaining carrier wall. This piece 16 is separated from the remaining wall by two lengths of wall material 18 and 20. As is also shown, and in accordance with the present invention, the wedge piece 16 is angled inwardly of the carrier 100 from the two pieces 18, 20 rather than in a direction as parallel to the direction of battery insertion as with the mating 'wall portion. This is seen in FIG. 3.

It will be readily apparent that insertion of a battery into the carrier unit 100 (into the plane of the paper) will establish an interference fit where the battery is of an outer diameter less than but approximately the inner diameter d of the carrier unit 100. In such instance, the battery will be held in place by the inwardly extending portion of the wedge piece 16. The illustrated position will be understood to be the one which the carrier 100 would assume when it is swung out from the hearing aid housing for insertion of a battery. Thus, the first'requirement of retaining the battery in place would be satisfied because the inwardly projecting portion of the wedge piece 16 prevents the battery from falling through the carrier by virtue of its own weight.

To enable the battery to float when the loaded carrier is swung to the operating or closed condition only requires the piece 16 to be resiliently flexible to respond to a force inwardly imposed on the upper portion of the wedge piece 16. The effect of such force would be to rotate the wedge 16 from its inwardly angled illustrated position to the parallel aligned position of the battery wall. In such instance the interference pressure previously exerted on the battery by the wedge 16 is substantially reduced and the battery can thus be made to effectively float in the hearing aid housing, supported primarily by the contact spring arrangement employed. The battery will then be free to move about under the influence of the contact spring or springs. Such inwardly imposed force may be afforded by a camming surface positioned on the hearing aid housing adjacent the point of insertion of the carrier or presented when the carrier is in its normal operating position in the hearing aid.

7 Although there has been described a preferred embodimentof this-novel-inventio'n, any variations'and'niodifica tions will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, while the invention has been described in an environment of a swing-out type hearing aid, its described principles will be seento apply equally as well to drawtype units. With either type arrangement, it will be seen that'the friction or interference type -fit would'be eliminatedby realigning camming surfaces of the battery housing for example--to establish the characteristically cylindrical nature of the carrier. Therefore, this invention is to belimited, not'by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appending claims.

--'I claim:" 1 I 1. Ahearing aid-housing having a battery support section; spring contact members in said battery support section and a camming surface;

a carrier comprising a shell-like body for receiving and removably retaining a battery insaid battery support section; 1 1 r r ,saidshell-like body having an outer wall portiondefininganaperture region into which said battery is I 1 to ,be fitted and a cross-sectional area slightly larger than that of-saidbattery; I 8 @said outer wall portion having a resilient finger section inwardly projecting into said aperture region from a point 'on' said wall portion to permit the fitting of said battery within said larger area aperture but to prevent said battery fromfalling through said larger aperture, and providing an interference fit for retaining said battery within said carrier;

said resilient finger section being in substantial align- 'in'efi't" with saia cammingsnrfaee of said housing, said camming surfaceTexerting a force upon said finger section when said carrier and the battery carried thereby is placed in said battery support 7 sectionto defeat its inwardprojection to reduce said 1 interference fit and the retention of said battery by said carrier; said battery :being under' the control of said spring contact members when said-carrier and battery are -in the battery support section of'thehousing.

2. The carrier ofclaim 1' wherein-the outer wall portion of saidshell like body is oriented substantially parallel to the direction of fitting of" said "battery into said aperture region and wherein said initially inwardly projecting resilient finger's'ection is'causedto besimilarly parallel oriented by said camming surfacempon insertion of said carrier into said battery support-section of said housing. I

- 1 References Cited '1 UNITED STATES I A'TENTS 288,058 11/1883 Hollister -248-3 1s 3,237,905 3/1966 Baker et al. 248316 D 2,882,348 4/1959 Erickson l36173 2,975,226 3/1961""Lehr 136-173 3,488,698 1/1970 Quick 136-;173 DONALD L, WALTON, lrimary Examiner j US. 01. X.R. 

